To Catch a Raven
by TayMor
Summary: As the shock of his kissing her wears off, Sakura becomes increasingly pissed off at her Buntaichou. No one, not even the almighty Uchiha Itachi, leaves Haruno Sakura hanging. Her response? Get even. Only she can't let Uchiha-san know! ...And she doesn't mind his liking her one bit! Sequel to Sparks. See my profile for reviewer rewards!
1. Where There's Smoke

**~Catching A Raven~**

**Chapter 1: Where There's Smoke**

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**Sequel to Sparks. You don't have to, but I would love if you would check it out and leave a review if you haven't already! This will be a chapter story (^_^)! Not sure how many chapters, though, as I am using your reviews to fuel it! Chapters will be short and sweet until the story picks up. **

**Hahaha y'all took it to 25 pretty fast!**

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Sakura stared at the back of her Buntaichou, completely uncertain of what to make of him. Why? Why would he even think to pull a stunt like that? Not that he hadn't been amazing, because Uchiha Itachi was good at everything humanly possible, but Sakura still didn't get _why. _

Unless he liked her.

But that was out of the question, since she was a lowly Haruno and he was like a ninja god. Kami. Well, she wasn't all _that _low on the ninja food chain, being the best medic nin after Tsunade-sama, but still. She wasn't quite in his league.

Unless he was trying to win a bet with someone.

Okay, she got that there was a rumor that she was hard to get close to, but that was so not true! Okay, so she disliked creeps and anyone that tried too hard to protect her, or treat her like some delicate china or something, because she was a kunoichi! And sure she would probably erupt into anger sometimes and beat the crap out of guys … but she always healed them up nicely afterwards.

Sakura launched herself from limb to limb, trying to keep her senses sharp even as her mind was filled with proposed reasons why Uchiha-Buntaichou had so randomly kissed her. He'd never expressed any sort of interest in her before, verbal or non-verbal, and quite frankly it hadn't been a problem.

Until now.

Sure, sure, his sheer awesomeness in the field made Sakura automatically gravitate towards him, but she rarely saw him without his ANBU mask on… except for training… and then he usually watched and guided the other team members, pointing out weak spots and giving advice in his monosyllabic, direct way… which meant Sakura rarely had time to really look at him much less go into fangirl mode.

And he got hurt so rarely that she hardly ever had to heal him, or see him without his ANBU gear on. Which, _now _that he'd gotten her thinking about it with his _stupid, stupid _stunt, really **sucked!**

Sakura scowled behind her mask, wishing she could just hit him and be done with it… but even if she attacked, she would probably never land a hit because he was just too fast. She had to admit it. It was easy to admit that.

Maybe he'd done it as a sick joke.

Yes, that sounded much more like it, Sakura decided.

**'Yeah, those damn Uchiha are prone to madness. We should know, based on how many are in ridiculously over-priced rooms in the Konoha Asylum,' **her inner dryly reminded her. He must have some maniacal plan in mind.

Maybe he'd heard her comment about the ice pole in his ass and had decided to get even. Which made sense the more Sakura thought about it. Maybe this was his way of saying that he was way too hot for ice to survive in his ass.

Damn.

Maybe she should apologise for that.

Unless of course there was another reason, which there was most likely because she was nowhere near devious enough to think on the same level as Uchiha. If there was another reason, and she made him aware of her comment, she was royally screwed.

Damn.

The more she thought about it, the more annoyed Sakura got because she just couldn't seem to find an answer that fit.

By the time the trees thinned even more and the large Konoha Wall came into view, Sakura was beyond pissed off.

He'd just left her hanging. He'd kissed her, and then just backed away like it was nothing. As if he'd just flicked a bug off her shoulders as against smashing her against a tree and invading her mouth with his disgustingly, annoyingly, infuriatingly, amazingly skilled tongue.

Damn!

Sakura walked behind her Buntaichou as they passed through the gate, expending a lot of effort in lieu of hiding how pissed off she was from him. She was struggling to contain the waves of anger she knew would freak out Naruto (wherever he was), if they so much as wafted from her body.

She carefully controlled her steps on the way to Lady Tsunade's office where they would debrief.

How had he even got her against that tree so fast? Sakura had only ever seen him move in speeds comparable to that when…

When…

When in the heat of battle!

Oh, holy mother of flying Buddha, Uchiha-Buntaichou had used a freaking Shunshin no Jutsu in order to kiss her?

She would _never _have been able to evade him, _even if she had seen it coming!_

Sakura ground her teeth together, now thankful for the ANBU mask shielding her face from the world. She forced herself to concentrate on the steady crunch of gravel beneath her open-toed ninja sandals and to warm summer breeze that brushed over the exposed skin of her arms.

* * *

She was thoroughly distracted.

Itachi could sense it by the way she walked, and the notion was a rather satisfying one. He could tell that his kiss had surprised her and it was obvious to him that she was still in shock, but trying to behave as if she wasn't.

And he was anxious to know what her reaction would be. Whatever it was, it was bound to be amusing.

Itachi led the way up the spiralling staircase that led to Tsunade-sama's office, incredibly aware of Sakura right behind him. Like a true ninja, she was deathly silent the entire way.

He was proud of her.

Apart from her aesthetic appeal, which she certainly had a lot of with those wide, bright green eyes, contrasting pink hair, flawless skin, shapely figure and… and those beautiful lips, Sakura was a force to be reckoned with in the field. Her determination, stamina, fierceness, and desire to pull her own weight were things that Itachi found incredibly attractive in a woman. She had a brain of her own, and used it well, and she was prodigious in the medical field, an asset that Itachi truly believed contributed vastly to his team's status as the one with the most successful missions.

Itachi knocked gently, but firmly, on Tsunade-sama's door, waiting for her barked 'Come in' before pushing the wooden object open.

"Debrief," the Fifth commanded without looking up from her paperwork. Itachi had no doubt, however, that she knew exactly who they were.

As he related the details of the mission, Itachi found his attention on his subordinate. Was she still so shocked by his actions that she'd simply closed off? Apart from her breathing and his sense of her chakra, Sakura was not moving a muscle or making a sound.

Usually she was a bit more vivacious than this!

Itachi was unsure of what to make of her behaviour.

After being dismissed by the Hokage, Sakura opted for jumping out the window instead of going back down the stairs, but when Itachi made to go after her, he'd found that she'd teleported away.

Itachi followed suit, materializing in his bedroom on the Uchiha compound. He'd long since moved out of his parents' house, and he found that living on his own suited him much better. Sure he still went back to his mother's house for meals, at her request, but he was relieved of a large amount of unwanted pressure since he'd removed himself from his father's domain.

Itachi tugged off his mask and laid it in the spot he always put it, before tugging his hair tie off and allowing his hair to fall freely down his back. He slowly undressed, putting everything in its rightful place before heading to the shower to cleanse himself of the grime that came from a week's travel.

It was good to be home.

* * *

She was home. Alone.

Just to be certain her Buntaichou was not uncharacteristically lurking in her vicinity, Sakura sent out a pulse of chakra to 'see' all in the area. Her Buntaichou was nowhere to be found.

Good.

And Sakura released the killing intent she'd been bottling up for hours now, smirking evilly when all living creatures froze in terror, younger children and animals fleeing to safe areas.

Oh she was mad. She was _so_ mad.

**'SHANNARO! We are going to get even! We have to!' **her inner roared angrily. **'No one, no one, ****_no one,_**** not even the almighty Uchiha Itachi, leaves Haruno Sakura hanging!' **

_'I'm done being the girl that gets trampled on, over-protected, over-looked, left behind, and taken advantage of by those blasted Uchiha,' _Sakura ranted inwardly, not wanting to speak out loud and have other people be privy to the root of her frustration.

**'I second that, damn it! If we could attack that long-haired, too-gorgeous bastard and flatten his hot ass, we would!' **her inner snarled.

_'Two can play this game that Uchiha Buntaichou is playing. And I will play his game until I find out what it is that he's up to. Where there is smoke, there is usually fire,' _Sakura thought, her lips twisting into a devilish grin as she ground her fist into her palm.

"Just you watch, Uchiha Buntaichou. I'll make it so not even you will realize what it is I am doing, you bastard," Sakura muttered. "And I _will _find out what it is you are up to!

She wouldn't go down without a fight.

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**YOSH! Chapter one of the sequel! Watcha think!? **

**This is a humor fic of Sakura finding artful ways to get back at Itachi, flirtatiously, ridiculously and otherwise. **

**Please review with scenes/concepts you wanna see in the next chappie! And plz read my profile!**

**Hope you liked!**

**TayMor!**


	2. Fuelling the Fire

**OMG Guys you are absolutely amazing! Hahahaha I ended up not being able to wait because the review winners had EXCELLENT ideas. I will show the award credits now:**

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**Rawr (a Guest, but a rather welcome one! teehee! Ty for the awesome review, ya made me laugh soo hard!)**

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**Thanks guys for your input, scene credits at the end! **

**In response to a question, I have no clue how long this will be! And the only plan I have in mind is hilarity, lots of tension (ohoho) and Itachi and Sakura ending up together. Whether they end up together in the middle (and end up competing still) or at the end (after much competing) I don't know! It's pretty much up to you guys and the ideas you give, and the way I end up writing said ideas.**

**(Unbeta-ed, because I am rushing to go out!)**

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Sakura grunted in frustration as Uchiha Buntaichou caught her fist. Every bone in the hand of an ordinary man would have shattered from palm to shoulder from the force of her punch, but her Buntaichou's chakra control eliminated that threat completely. Her face was sweaty, which made her short hair adhere to her skin, and she was grimy and tired and frustrated.

And he was calm, collected, and pristine. As usual. And stroking the side of her fist gently with his thumb. Even though Neji and Shisui were watching, Uchiha Buntaichou's random little touches were so minute Sakura doubted they saw.

And they would only tease her mercilessly if she brought it up.

She snatched her fist away, thoroughly disconcerted, and annoyed at the little self-satisfied glint in Uchiha Buntaichou's eyes. Sakura jumped backwards to safety, and forced herself to calm down. She could do this. All she had to do was get scroll tucked in his shihakusho, and she would have completed the training objective.

And even though she'd landed more hits on him than usual, Sakura had a suspicion that he was allowing it for his own advantage.

Like when she grazed his side only for his chest to slam into hers. Or when she kicked his shoulder and he grabbed her calf… loosely, but just to slide his fingers over her skin before pushing her away from him. Or when she tried to punch his jaw, and he grabbed her wrist and spun her around so that his chest was to her back and his breath ghosted over her ear.

What sort of mind game was he playing?

Neither of them had said a word about the kiss, but it was looming in Sakura's mind all the same.

Relentless.

And it made her think of him constantly, wondering what he meant by it, why he did it and what he was supposed to be gaining from it. What was this sudden interest in her about? As far as she'd known, he'd paid just the same amount of attention to her as she did him. Which was not much.

So why was he suddenly playing with her this way? Or was she imagining it?

All the same, the mental gymnastics of it were annoying Sakura.

She swiped her hand across her mouth, sharp green eyes watching the way Uchiha-san's eyes flickered down to her lips at the movement. Sakura swept her tongue experimentally over her lips, noting the way his jaw tensed.

Did that mean…?

Could he possibly… like her?

Sakura's inner chose that moment to make her presence known.

**'Let's show Uchiha Buntaichou that two can play this game.' **

* * *

Did Sakura even know how appealing she was? The way she'd licked her lips just now had sent heat pooling at his gut. And the memory of those same lips smashed against his only a few days ago did not help even one iota.

Itachi caught her fist as it rocketed towards his face, gritting his teeth at the power she packed behind the blow, and frowning inwardly at his wavering focus. They had been training for hours. How did she manage to have this much chakra left? Itachi knew her chakra control was exemplary, but it seemed her reserves had grown in leaps and bounds as well!

The force of the punch had him skating backwards on the loose soil, and he had to bend his knees to come to a stop. She sent another fast punch at his head, and Itachi tilted his head to the side to evade it. However, when she drew back her hand, the edges of her fingers brushed ever so gently against the skin at the side of his neck.

The contact set Itachi completely off balance.

That had felt almost like a caress.

Almost.

He watched her rake her fingers through her short hair, which was wet and curling with sweat at her temples. And the expression on her face made Itachi certain she had no idea of her effect on the male sex.

A glance to his right made it clear to him that he was not the only one enchanted by the Haruno kunoichi. Here in the secluded training grounds, the ANBU team trained maskless, and with slightly lowered guards. They could afford it, as the surroundings were covered by several intricate layers of genjutsu, complements of the two Uchiha, and monitored constantly by Neji's Byakugan… and the young Hyuuga kept moving so that his single blind spot was never in one place.

The element of security gave Shisui and Neji leave to eye Sakura under the guise of watching her train with Itachi. But they were focused just a little too much on her to fool Itachi.

And for some reason the thought that they were watching her, _appreciating her_, just angered him.

It was foolish.

It wasn't as if he'd been unaware that Sakura was in the eye of the majority of the male population of Konoha… and other countries as well.

But being aware didn't make him like it any more.

_He _must be the one to have her. He didn't want any other man so much as _looking_ at her.

And it was those sort of thoughts that had Itachi realizing a little too late that Sakura was on the offensive again, and the ground crumbled beneath his feet. He leapt upwards instinctively to avoid being crushed or caught by the sinking earth beneath him, only to be blindsided by a chakra-filled punch to the shoulder.

And there was no sound but that of the crumbling earth, and the cracking of bone.

His bone.

Searing pain shot through Itachi's right shoulder as he _felt _the bone shattering.

Damn.

Shisui put his hands to his mouth and crowed loudly in surprise and… and something else.

"Sakura-chan! Way to go!" his cousin yelled, a wide grin splitting his face.

It had been pride? Shisui was… proud of her?

Of course, Itachi was too, but it had been watered down by the fact that if he hadn't been distracted she would never have hit him. But he couldn't tell anyone that or face revealing himself, so he did nothing.

Kept his face straight.

Skidding to a halt, his left hand bracing his shoulder, Itachi eyed Sakura. She was grinning, luscious lips spread and parted, glints of white teeth in between. Her eyes were sparkling and her face was alight with satisfaction.

"It is not yet over, Sakura-san," Itachi said slowly, straightening and trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder. His right hand used to be his dominant hand, so it was a good thing he'd trained himself to ambidexterity a long time ago. He watched her face fall. She scowled at him.

"I still hit you though, Uchiha _Buntaichou_," she purred. Itachi clenched his teeth against the sound. "And I will fight until I can get that scroll from you."

* * *

The sun had already set.

The training grounds were lit only by the four fires Shisui had lit with his Goukakyuu no Jutsu.

Sakura had still not gotten the scroll.

Because she had a plan in mind. Years of being a kunoichi had taught Sakura a thing or two about planning ahead. And even if what she was doing was based off of a falsehood or an incorrect idea, she had to give it a shot.

She was covered in sweat, breathing heavily, grimy and hot. But she had a plan.

Sakura stripped off her top, leaving herself covered by only her bindings and her tights, and kicked of her shoes.

"I was beginning to feel restricted," she said, kicking herself mentally for waiting _this _long. Now the only flicker she could see in Uchiha Buntaichou's eyes was the flicker of the firelight. She had to shoot in the dark.

She dropped back into an offensive stance, trying not to show any worry for her Buntaichou. His arm had been bleeding steadily, and it must be painful, because he'd been focusing only on avoiding her since he'd gotten hit. He'd not tried to grab her arm like before, or make any type of contact, but instead kept evading every hit completely.

Sakura circled him, not making any effort to temper her breathing or appear less tired than she was. She made no move to attack, but instead eyed him as she moved in slow circles. She watched him tense the more she circled. It was minute, but it was there.

Sakura slowed even more, and put one of her fingertips to her neck under the guise of pushing away her hair, while sending minute, almost untraceable probing chakra to her carotid artery. Using a seal-less medical jutsu, she halted the blood flow to her brain for a little more than a split second.

It dizzied her almost immediately, blurring her vision and making her stumble.

She let herself fall, barely hearing Shisui's alarmed shout.

She smelled that familiar scent of her Buntaichou as he appeared at her side, catching her with his left arm before she hit the ground.

In one smooth, almost effortless movement, Sakura slid her hand along his side and grasped the scroll. Opening foggy green eyes, she looked up at her Buntaichou, whose eyes were slightly widened in alarm.

"Gotcha," she whispered.

* * *

He'd never dreamed she would get that scroll from him.

He was supposed to have been at the top of his game. Which was why he'd used a mission scroll.

Ridiculously stupid idea, especially now that she'd stolen the scroll from him. And it would bear serious consequences if she ever thought to look inside it. Not only was it full of top secret jutsu that not even _he _had clearance to be privy to, but it was stolen from Iwa, and if it was opened, there was no telling what sort of traps were beneath its seal.

Which was how Itachi found himself sneaking around Sakura's house, even with his injury so painful he had to clench his teeth and use a jutsu to temporarily deaden the nerves until he could get it looked after properly by the Uchiha medic at his home.

She'd gone off with Shisui to meet Naruto and Sasuke for ramen, so Itachi thought it best that he get into her house before she got back, reset all her traps, and wait for her. He'd already sent a clone to Ichiraku Ramen to ensure that she didn't open the scroll _there _in front of Naruto especially, who had a voracious appetite for new jutsu.

Itachi meticulously made his way around the wire traps and genjutsu surrounding Sakura's house, evading them all easily. It wasn't as if her traps were elementary - they were just _beneath him_, and therefore bore no difficulty to bypass.

Itachi swiftly and silently scaled the wall of the outside of Sakura's house, evading carefully hidden paper-bombs of varying effect and intensity, before reaching her bedroom window… which was deceptively open.

Upon activating his Sharingan, Itachi had to smile at the ridiculous amount of traps criss-crossing the open window. For one, what looked like the window was actually about two feet _above _her actual window, which was cleverly concealed by intricate genjutsu.

He'd trained her well.

Itachi supposed that _this _was the reason _he _was always the one used to summon Sakura, as he could only imagine the amount of injuries that arose from anyone else trying to get her up via knocking on her window, perhaps.

The Uchiha stifled an uncharacteristic chuckle.

Slipping in through her window after silently de-trapping it, Itachi slid inside, replaced the traps exactly as he'd found them, then climbed the wall and cloaked himself in darkness in the upper corner of her bedroom. Chakra at his feet keeping him securely to the wall, Itachi scanned the room with his Sharingan. There didn't seem to be any other traps inside her room.

He was just about to move when the front door slammed. She was home.

Itachi shot a glance back at the window. He wouldn't have time to de-trap and re-trap before she got to her room, judging by how swiftly she was walking. He would have to stay put.

Completely cloaking his chakra right now meant that he'd leave himself open to discovery if she turned her bedroom light on. Rapidly executing a cloaking jutsu or genjutsu to hide himself would leave himself open to discovery if she sensed his chakra. Deciding to go with the second option with the hopes that she could mistake sensing his chakra for a moment to him being simply in the area, Itachi watched and waited.

In a few seconds after the cloaking jutsu, Sakura's bedroom door swung open and the pink-haired beauty stepped inside.

She paused in the doorway, sighed and leaned her shoulder against it.

"Kami, I'm tired," he heard her whisper to herself as she let her head fall back… revealing her gloriously long neck for his perusal.

Then right there in the doorway to her room, Sakura began to undress.

And Itachi didn't turn his Sharingan off.

* * *

He was in her room.

Sakura wasn't sure why he was there, but the fact that he'd cloaked himself meant that he didn't want her to know. And him not wanting her to know he was there, meant it wasn't his injury that he was here about.

Which left Sakura the logical conclusion that it was _something else._ The only two things she could think of that he would need to sneak into her room for was to either see her naked, or retrieve the scroll she'd managed to take from him.

Despite her inner's wishes, Sakura really didn't peg her Buntaichou as a peeping tom, so while she suspected he might allow himself a truly accidental peek, she really didn't think he would actually sneak into her room for that purpose.

So it had to be the scroll.

From the moment she'd laid her hands on the scroll, she'd felt the history and the power inside it.

Which was the only reason she hadn't opened it yet. She'd wanted to, but Naruto had enough on his plate being a jinchuuriki, and she while she wasn't in love with Sasuke the way she used to be, she didn't want to drag him into anything that might happen after she opened it.

Because she was _going_ to open it. She'd won it fair and square, and now she wanted to see what was inside. Never mind that in ninja hierarchy she was about a Level Five, and this called for Level S One clearance. Not even Uchiha Buntaichou, who as a clan heir, ANBU Buntaichou, and Konoha diplomat was a Level One, was cleared to open this.

Pretty much only a Kage could open this scroll.

But she wanted to see inside.

Which was why she couldn't let him have it.

The funny thing was, if he wasn't staring at her so intently, Sakura would never have known that he was there!

And that was the thought that had Sakura's inner cackling madly inside her head.

* * *

She'd stripped.

Completely.

Right before his eyes.

It was hardly the first time Itachi had seen a woman completely unclothed before. He was Uchiha Itachi, after all.

It wasn't even the first time he'd seen Sakura completely unclothed before (there had been that one time on a mission when she had been undercover and had to strip for a target, and another time when she'd been injured and he and Shiusi had had to apply first aid in the field), but the _way_ she'd removed her ninja garb…

Itachi's entire body was overheated, and it was taking all his resolve to keep thinking about the scroll he was supposed to be reclaiming.

Did she know he was in the room? Was this a show she was putting on for his benefit? Or was this how simply graceful she was even when alone?

He should not even _think _about her pale skin, or her curves, or how much he wanted to have her like that, just for himself.

He shouldn't think about anything pleasure related at all. He should save that for later, when she was actually his.

It was a pity he couldn't seem to follow any of his mental directions at all.

Itachi watched, helplessly, as she bent slowly and the waist, one foot set slightly ahead of the other, and picked up the scroll. She rose, her back curving beautifully as she straightened and made her way into the ensuite bathroom.

And the kunoichi left the door open as she made her bath.

And Itachi couldn't move, though not for fear of revealing himself. There was something far more embarrassing than underestimating her that he now had to hide.

* * *

Sakura hid her smile as she sunk beneath the hot water in her bath. If he was there for the scroll, he would have to come down and get it, or be forced to watch her read it while taking her bath.

Sakura was a medic and a kunoichi for long enough to know how the male body worked, and so she knew that if he didn't want to reveal the natural reaction his body would have after what she'd just done, he would stay put. She wouldn't fool herself into thinking that she had any major effect on him apart from what was completely natural, and she knew that her Buntaichou was the type to be able to withstand his natural compulsions anyway, so her stunt was simply to keep him away while she read the scroll.

Nothing else.

Right, like it wasn't her inner's ultimate desire thus far to give her Buntaichou a show and see what he did afterwards.

Sakura planned to use every skill she had to give her Buntaichou a run for his money. There was no way in hell that she would allow him to get under her skin without seating herself securely under his. And she wouldn't be an obvious tease like Ino either.

No.

Sakura would much rather play up on the misconception of innocence that people seemed to have of her.

After executing a jutsu to check for any traps, Sakura slid her nail under the seal and opened the old scroll.

She then proceeded to be completely stunned at the kind of jutsu that was hidden on the old parchment. At first glance, she'd thought it was something else, but when the steam from her bath had caught it, the true purpose of the scroll had been revealed.

And Sakura hoped that her Buntaichou thought that her shaking hands and red face were from her exhaustion and the heat of her bath respectively.

Now she knew why this had such a high clearance. With jutsu like these, any kunoichi worth her salt could have the world at her feet.

Sakura's eyes widened at time, squeezed almost shut at others and blinked in disbelief at times based on the jutsu displayed. She felt almost sorry for any man these were used against, because some of them were downright unfair.

Talk about hitting below the belt.

Now she knew why some Iwa men were so damned hard to seduce. Of course the scroll made sure to indicate what actions could nullify the effect of the jutsu, so if any of these jutsu were read by men, they would know how to adequately protect themselves.

She had no intention of this scroll ever reaching Uchiha Buntaichou's hands, or eyes. Ever.

* * *

Itachi scowled.

She'd read the scroll. The steam from the bathroom had made it difficult to see her reaction, but even then it had been obvious that the information she'd read was something she hadn't expected.

But that wasn't even the part that had the Uchiha heir disgruntled. It was the fact that Sakura had just walked back into her bedroom.

She had not even towelled off.

Was she this relaxed in her home? Was she so blinded by the sense of security her puny traps afforded her? Did she truly not sense his presence at all? What if he had been someone else? Would any other ninja with enough skill to get through her traps be regaled by… by _this?_

The mere notion had Itachi seeing red.

He was livid, if he were honest.

He waited until she put on a flimsy top, ridiculously enticing underwear and a pair of tiny shorts before he pushed himself away from the wall.

He ignored her squeak of surprise, and tried to ignore the red flush that crept up her neck.

"U-Uchiha Buntaichou," she sputtered, one hand fluttering to her neck. "H-how long have you been there?" she asked, her voice breathy. Her perfectly sized chest rose and fell rapidly and she began glancing about the room as if unable to meet his gaze.

"Sakura-san," Itachi found himself saying. "My arm needs healing." It would be useless to request the scroll now. She'd already read it. He'd find another way to get it.

"Oh… _oh,_" Sakura gasped, still blinking rapidly and swallowing. Itachi watched her throat move, his Sharingan still spinning lazily. "You… you might want to turn _that _off, Uchiha Buntaichou," she said, her face flushing as she weakly gestured at his eyes.

Itachi let the red in his eyes fade to black before ripping his loose Uchiha shirt off. Sakura grimaced at the sight of his arm, the bones jutting out in places, and the skin broken and darkening.

She indicated that he sit, so Itachi took his place at the edge of her bed, and scooped his hair out of the way, waiting patiently for her to begin.

She approached, skin cool and smelling shower-fresh, her wet hair curly and stuck to her skin in places. Her fingers fluttered lightly over his skin as her green eyes focused on the damager her powerful fists had caused.

"Oh, Buntaichou…" she murmured, a tinge of regret in her eyes. "Relax," she said softly, stepping between his legs and sliding her right hand around the back of his neck. She used it to hold his neck forward and to the side, so that his forehead rested against her chest.

Her soft chest.

A shiver of awareness streaked through Itachi's insides.

Her left hand hovered above his damaged shoulder, a green glow of chakra cloaking her hand.

"Okay," she said, her voice a half-murmur, half-whisper. Her breath ghosted over his skin. Itachi's heartbeat sped up. "This is going to feel cold, then it's going to hurt like a bitch," she continued.

Before Itachi could react, it was like someone stuffed ice into his shoulder. And then came the pain as her chakra pulled the shattered bone and knitted it back together. Itachi didn't make a sound, but Sakura still sensed his pain.

Her fingertips soothingly stroked the side of his neck as she repaired the mangled, bruised flesh. The pain was, in a word, intense. Itachi curled the fingers of his left hand around her calf, trying to distract himself.

This was ridiculous. He should not be in this much pain from a broken shoulder.

He was a ninja, for Kami's sake!

"It only hurts this much because of the level of the jutsu I am using," Sakura said when his fingers squeezed her calf. Itachi didn't respond, knowing she would elaborate.

"I am pulling the shattered bone back into place, that's why I made it cold, to numb your nerves. Then I forced your bone cells to split apart and grow, which is where most of the pain is coming from. Now I am using your chakra, mine, and the new bone cells to knit all the little pieces of bone back together," Sakura said, bending and leaning closer to him. His face was now nestled between her cheek and shoulder.

It was almost like an embrace. The pain alone was what kept his earlier _condition _at bay.

"I'll make it feel good soon, after the pain," Sakura whispered. The words, her tone, and her breath against his bare skin had goosebumps racing over Itachi's torso. The good kind. Which in his position meant the kind he'd wanted to avoid when she could see.

Itachi would be damned if he let this opportunity pass him by.

The fingers that had been clutching her calf loosened and moved slightly upwards, to the spot right behind her knee.

Her hands faltered.

Good.

Itachi smirked against her shoulder.

"I'm going to send warm chakra to massage and stimulate your muscle," she said softly. "And just a little more to make it feel good and promote healing."

"Hn," Itachi grunted, wishing she would hurry up to that part.

The hand holding his head in place shifted, and her fingers slid into his hair and behind his ear. Itachi swallowed.

Oh Kami.

Then came the pleasure. He'd not ever expected it to feel so… amazing.

It was like … mint… in his muscle. Warm, hot even, then with tendrils of cold intertwined. And the way it moved and massaged felt like nothing he'd ever experienced.

There was no way he was ever going to let anyone other than Sakura heal him after this.

A low moan left his lips, but the feeling Sakura was creating in his shoulder took precedence, and Itachi couldn't bring himself to care.

Too soon she was pushing his torso away. A glance at his shoulder revealed unbroken, slightly reddened, _healthy_ skin. A tentative roll of his shoulder yielded no pain, no stiffness, no discomfort. It felt better than it used to.

Sakura leaned close again to whisper in his ear.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" she murmured. "One of these days, you'll do something really nice for me, Buntaichou, and I'll give you a proper massage."

And Itachi wondered what it was that he had to do to get that.

* * *

**AAGGHH! Hahahaha I can't go any more! I was trying to put more suggestions in, but I ran out of time and space! How dare u make me write something three times longer than I wanted to!? (^_^)**

_Sakura's Show scene goes to_** LN reviewer Emirii-chan.**

_All that touching goes to _**LN reviewer Emirii-chan.**

_Sakura training in just her bindings and tights goes to _**MA Reviewer rawr**

**I wanted to do more, seriously, but I had to go out and I wanted to post. I also didnt want a long chapter like AIA. So guys, please look out for your suggestions randomly popping up in the future. I created a Scene Dump, so I have all your suggestions in there, and I will pick from that as I go. **

**Sorry to all those whose ideas didn't show up in here! (T_T) I hope you can forgive me~**

**Plehz review! **


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